Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr. is an accomplished educator, author, and advocate. He was named the 2022 Kentucky Teacher of the Year for his work teaching French and English at Montgomery County High School. He later left his teaching position, citing discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals.
He has since become a prominent advocate for equality, testifying before the U.S. House Oversight Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in 2022. He is a board member of the Kentucky Youth Law Project. He works at the University of Kentucky and continues to inspire through his writing, public speaking, and advocacy.
He is also a published poet, with his collection Gay Poems for Red States receiving critical acclaim and multiple awards.
Willie is well-known in Winchester, having spoken at the former Wildcat Willie’s Distillery, now known as Regeneration Distillery, and was the headline speaker at the 2023 Voices of Winchester storytelling event at Leeds Center for the Arts.
Willie’s advocacy for Kentucky’s young people, particularly LGBTQ+ youth, involves counseling, lobbying the state legislature, and keeping abreast of legal issues surrounding the community.
He recently sat down with our Lisa Bush to talk about his work and his heart for struggling queer youth.
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About WinCity Voices
WinCity Voices (WCV) is sharing the voices of Winchester one story at a time. We are all about connection, conversation, and community. Launched in November 2021 as WinCity News & Views and rebooted in October 2022, we are a group of volunteers who love creating engaging content in all its forms. Our work consists mostly of short stories about ideas, happenings, people, places, and more. We also feature fiction and art of all kinds.
Our Mission
WinCity Voices believes storytelling in all of its forms — the visual, the written, the spoken — is vital to meaningful change. Our storytellers provoke thought, promote happenings, and provide entertainment. Our mission is to celebrate creativity, foster informed conversation, and inspire the people of Winchester and beyond to build connection and community.
Our Vision
We envision a community where diversity is celebrated and all are welcomed, inspired, and empowered to become active participants in the social and civic life of Winchester and beyond.
Links
Website: https://www.wincityvoices.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wincityvoices Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wincityvoices/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/wincityvoices.org
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